Ransom
by Firestorm
Summary: When the Ronins all go out, Ryo is content on enjoying a relaxing day at home by himself. Then it suddenly changes. He finds himself in a terrible situation in which he cannot get himself out of. Will the other Ronins be able to save him?
1. Default Chapter

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Disclaimer: Someone else owns the Ronins, I don't. I only own the characters I made up in this story.. 

Ransom 

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Chapter 1. The Plot. 

The large figure stared at the sleeping boy. It walked softly over to him, and stared down. It waited a few minutes. Nothing. "ROAR!" 

Ryo Sanada, AKA Ryo of the Wildfire, leader of the Ronin Warriors, gave a cry of surprise and shot up in bed. He glared at his tiger. "White Blaze!" 

The large black and white tiger stared at him, then looked toward the open window. Ryo looked too, then glanced at the clock. It was after 8:00 A.M. 

"OK, so it's morning," Ryo said as he climbed out of bed. He pulled down his scrunched up pajama shirt, then headed over to his dresser. There was a knock at the door. 

"Yeah?" 

"Ryo?" A boy poked his head in the door. "Oh, you're up. Good." 

"What's up, Cye?" 

"We're all leaving for today. Kento's going to his family's restaurant, Rowen is going with Mia to the University, Sage is going with his family to his Aunt's, and I'm going to visit my sister and her husband. Were you planning on doing anything?" 

Ryo pulled off his pajama shirt, threw it on the floor, and then opened his dresser drawer. He found a nice blue T-shirt and slipped it on. "Nah," he said. "I think White Blaze and me will just stick around here. I really don't feel like going anywhere." 

Cye nodded. "Well, see you later then, Ryo." 

"Sure." 

Cye left, and Ryo finished getting dressed. He picked up his dirty clothes and left his bedroom with White Blaze following him. Ryo headed to the bathroom while White Blaze went downstairs. A chorus of, "Bye, Ryo!" echoed through the manor. 

White Blaze heard the front door open and close. And then there was silence. 

Ryo came downstairs a few minutes later. "Peace and quiet, uh, boy?" 

White Blaze rumbled happily, then plopped himself down in front of the couch. He closed his eyes. 

Ryo gave him a strange look. "Oh, I get it. You get me up, and you decide to take a nap?" He was being sarcastic. The tiger opened one eye and just gazed at him, before shutting his eye again. 

Lazy tiger!" Ryo mumbled as he headed off for the kitchen.

Outside, a black car pulled up. Three men stared at the large mansion. It was quiet, and they did not see any vehicles. 

"They're gone," the one sitting in the front passenger's side said. He had pure white hair and dark brown eyes. He was eyeing the mansion greedily. 

"No, wait!" the one in the back said. "There's someone in there!" He had long brown hair in a braid and wore sunglasses. He could see a black haired figure moving through the kitchen. 

"So what do we do?" the white haired one asked. 

The driver had been silent until now. "I know what we can do," he said. He had short, thick, wavy black hair, and black eyes. He had a smile on his face. 

"What?" 

"Yeah, tell us, Sama." 

"We kidnap him, and tell the people here that if they want him back safe and alive, they pay us." 

The two thought about it for awhile and nodded their heads in agreement. 

"So how do we get him?" the brown haired guy asked. 

"Like this..." 

Ryo carried a bowl of wheaties and a glass of orange juice into the living room. White Blaze was asleep now, and the boy rolled his eyes. He placed his breakfast on the coffee table and looked around for the TV remote control. There it was, stuck behind the cushions. He grabbed it, turned on the TV, and then flopped down on the couch. He grabbed his cereal and took a bite while he searched for something to watch. Let's see, Gremlins. Nah, seen it yesterday. Wrestling. Nope! Mary Tyler Moore! Too pathetic. Aha! Friday! Love that movie! Don't smoke that stuff, but it's still great, and I haven't seen it in awhile. 

Ryo grabbed his drink as his eyes were stuck on the movie. White Blaze woke up. He thought he heard something. He let out a slight growl, getting Ryo's attention. "What's the matter, boy?" 

The tiger growled again. Ryo set his breakfast down on the coffee table and got to his feet. He stared curiously at his tiger. There was a knock at the door. 

White Blaze growled again, and followed Ryo to the door. He stayed right beside him. Ryo opened the door. "Yes?" 

A man stood at the door. "Ah, hello," he said in very poor Japanese. "I was wondering if I could use your phone. You see my car broke down, and I need to call a towing company." 

White Blaze growled again, and the man looked down at him. He jumped in surprise. "A tiger!" 

"Yeah, you can use our phone," Ryo said. "But hang on a second. White Blaze is acting funny, and I don't want you bit. Let's go, White Blaze. Outside." 

The tiger glared at the man. He obeyed, but he would be listening for any sounds of trouble. He went out the back door, and try to listen to the conversation going on inside the mansion. Something didn't feel right. 

The tiger paced back and forth, getting agitated. He knew there was something not right about that guy. 


	2. Chapter 2

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Chapter 2. Kidnapped! 

Ryo showed the man where the phone was, and left to go do something. As he wandered through the mansion he did hear the man talking to someone. Wow, that was fast, he thought. He returned to the couch and finished off his breakfast while he watched Friday. By the time he finished his breakfast, the man came into the living room. 

"Arigatou," he said. It came out egiatou, but Ryo understood what he meant. He smiled and nodded his head. 

"Sure, no problem. Are they coming here?" 

"Yes, would you mind if I waited here?" 

"No, go ahead and have a seat," Ryo said. The man did so and looked toward the TV. Ryo stood up. "I'll be back. Have to take these out to the kitchen. Want anything to drink?" 

The man shook his head, and Ryo disappeared. 

Outside, the other two men were just about to go up to the mansion's front door, when they caught sight of a large tiger. 

"Oh, shit!" the white haired man whispered in fear. He grabbed his accomplice's hand, and pulled him down behind the bush. 

White Blaze's ears twitched. He thought he heard something. His nose sniffed the air. He could smell someone. They were close by. He followed the scent, and the two men's eyes widened with fear. The brown haired man spotted a metal pipe lying next to him. He smiled and picked it up. The tiger got closer and closer. He held it tightly, waiting. And then WHACK! 

White Blaze fell limply to the ground, out cold, blood seeping from a slight wound on his head. The man dropped the pipe. "Takes care of him." 

"Come on," said the white haired one. 

And the two stepped onto the porch. The door opened.... 

Ryo was still in the kitchen. He had seen the dishes and wondered why nobody had chosen to do them before they had all left. And then he remembered. It was Saturday. His turn. He already had three plates, two bowls, and five glasses washed. He still had two more plates, three bowls, two pots, a skillet, and a baking sheet to wash, not to mention all the silverware. 

"Hey!" a voice called from the living room. 

"Yeah!" Ryo hollered back. 

"I'm stepping outside for a bit, OK?" 

"Sure, go ahead. Oh, and don't mind White Blaze. If he gives you any trouble, just tell me!" 

"Sure thing!" 

The door closed. 

It was silent, now except for the TV. Ryo listened to the sounds. Smokey was trying to get Craig to smoke with him. He tried to picture the movie in his head, but it was difficult. He'd rather be in there, watching it. 

He rinsed out a bowl and stuck it in the drainer. 

Someone crept up behind him. Ryo saw the shadow of the figure and the pipe as well. His kanji flared on his head. Virtue! He turned around so fast, and kicked the white haired man into the back wall. 

The man laid there, stunned. Ryo stared down at him and glared. "Who the hell are you?!" 

The man had no time to answer, when someone tackled Ryo from behind. Ryo instinctively punched out, getting the man in the stomach. He used his foot to kick the man in the chest, then flipped over him. He considered using his subarmor, but these were just normal men. Weren't they? 

Ryo landed on his feet and stood ready in a fighting stance, his eyes never leaving the two men, and following their every move. TWHACK! 

Ryo felt pain against his head, and then he blacked out. He fell limply to the floor. 

The black haired man stared down at him, a small thin pipe in his head. "Get some rope," he ordered. "We don't want him fighting us while in the car." 

"Sure." The white haired man left, while the other two guarded the unconscious boy. The man returned, and they tied Ryo's hands and feet. The white haired man found some paper and a pencil, and wrote a very special note. And then all three left taking Ryo with them. 


	3. Chapter 3

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Chapter 3 The Note. 

The red and white jeep pulled up. A young woman with long auburn haired and a boy with blue hair stepped out. Both were talking excitedly about their trip to the University. 

"I can't believe he let us use that telescope," the woman said. "I never thought the stars would look so beautiful." 

"Yeah, but it's just too bad we can't see them with a plain eye during the day," the blue haired boy replied. They were walking toward the mansion. 

"Rowen, only you would say something like that." 

Rowen smiled, then noticed a still figure on the ground. "What the?" 

The woman stared as he headed closer to what he was seeing. He stared down and gasped. "Mia, get over here!" 

Mia hurried over and looked down. She gasped. "Oh, White Blaze!" 

Rowen bent down and checked the tiger. There was a small wound on his head. The tiger was unconscious. He looked up. "Get the first aid kit, and see if you can find Sage." He looked around. "And where is Ryo?" 

"I don't know. Surely he would know that White Blaze is hurt, unless...." 

Rowen felt something was not right. His kanji appeared on his forehead. Life. Mia stared at it. "Rowen, your kanji...." 

"Get the others now!" 

Mia ran into the house. She called out Ryo's name, but there was no answer. She made her way into the kitchen. She saw the sink filled with a few dishes and soapy water. The water was still running. That was odd. Ryo never left his chores undone, and he certainly never left water running. She shut the water off, then caught sight of the note on the table. Hm. Maybe Ryo wrote it. She picked it up, and began to read. Her eyes widened. "ROWEN!" she screamed. 

Rowen jumped to his feet when he heard Mia screamed. He saw her run out of the house, with a note in her hand. Uh, oh. Mia stopped before him. "Read this!" 

Rowen took the note. 'We have the boy. If you want him back safe and sound, you will gather at least 1, 000, 000 yen and pack it in a briefcase. You are then to wait instructions when we shall call you and let you know where to bring the money. And don't call the police. We will kill him if you do.' 

Rowen crumbled the note in his hand, and his dark blue eyes flashed angrily. "Get that first aid kit. I'm going to use the mind link to call the others. We've got to find Ryo." 

Mia nodded and went inside the mansion. And then Rowen closed his eyes and concentrated as hard as he could. 

Ryo slowly opened his eyes and was met with a rewarding pain. His skull ached, and so did his hands and feet. He looked around, and noticed he was in some kind of room, lying down on a double sized bed. The room was small and practically bare, with a small window with black blinders pulled down tightly. 

Ryo tried to get up, but learned that he was tied down. His wrists were tied to the front posts, and his ankles were tied to the bottom posts. Great. Just what I needed. 

His temper went off, and he struggled futilely against the binds. It was no use. He was stuck. Ryo groaned and laid his head down. It hurt. He had to get out of here, before..... 

The door opened, and Ryo looked to see a black haired man step into the room. Ryo glared. "YOU!" 

The man smiled. "I see you're awake," he said, as two more men joined him. Ryo narrowed his eyes. He remembered them too. He suddenly felt stupid. Why hadn't he listened to White Blaze?! And furthermore, why hadn't White Blaze come to help him when he was fighting against those two men. He could have least scared them off. Unless..... 

"I suppose you want to know why you're here," the black haired man said with a wry smile. 

"Duh!" Ryo retorted. 

"But first I think introductions are in order here. My name is Sama, this," he said gesturing to the brown haired man, is Gono, and this is Tomo. And you are?" 

"Pissed off!" Ryo cried, while struggling. "Now let me go!" 

"Temper, temper. And no, we're not letting you go. You're here for a very special reason." 

Ryo stopped struggling and glared at him. "And what reason is that?" he demanded. 

Sama smiled evilly. "Ransom. Pure ransom."


	4. Chapter 4

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Ransom 

Chapter 4. Contact. 

Four figures were gathered around the blond haired boy as he laid his hands on the injured tiger. His eyes were closed and he was glowing a bright green. The light transferred to the tiger and bathed him. He poured half his healing into the large beast, healing his wound and the concussion he had received. The light faded and the tiger opened his eyes. 

"White Blaze!" everyone said in relief. The tiger licked Sage's hand, then gazed around. He let out a cautious roar, and tried to get up. 

"No, White Blaze," Sage admonished. "Rest awhile." He stood up and looked at Mia. "About this note." 

Rowen took the crumbled note out of his pocket. He un-crumbled it and handed to Sage as everyone gathered around. Sage read it out loud, his violet eyes narrowing angrily. 

He ripped up the note. 

"So what do we do?" Cye asked worriedly. 

"What do you think we do?" a big boy asked. "We find Ryo, and beat the crap out of whoever took him!" 

"Don't be so quick, Kento," Sage said. "We need to come up with a plan first. For one thing we have no idea where they took him. We know he's not in the Dynasty. Talpa wouldn't demand money. All he wants is our armors." 

"Sage is right," Rowen said. "We need to see if we can contact Ryo through the mind link. Hopefully he's not unconscious. We need to find out if he's all right, and let him know that we're going to find him." 

"I'll contact him, Sage said. "The rest of you get White Blaze inside and let him rest as much as possible. We'll need him." With that, Sage went into the mansion. 

Ryo let out a sigh. He was alone in the room. It had been four hours since his arrival here, and he hadn't seen this Gono, Sama, or Tomo since they had left about an hour ago. He struggled against the ropes binding his wrists, and cursed when they didn't give. Well, it had been a good day, eh, now this day sucked. He could defeat Talpa and the Dynasty, but he couldn't even defeat these three losers. And to top it all off, his head hurt like hell. Need Motrin or something. I swear when I get out of here, those three are going to be hanging off the telephone pole! 

__

'Ryo?' 

Ryo's eyes widened. He knew that voice. _'Sage?' _he answered back. 

__

'Good, you're awake. I was afraid you were unconscious. The mind link wouldn't have worked otherwise. How are you?' 

'I'm tied down to a bed, and my head is killing me Don't ask how they got me, they just did. I should have listened to White Blaze.' 

'Hey, we all make mistakes, Ryo, you know that. Do you know where you are?' 

'Hell, no. I wish I did though. I want to get out of here. For now they haven't really harmed me, just knocked me out earlier. That's how I was caught. Now I feel stupid.' 

'Ryo, stop that! You're not stupid! Everyone has their days. Listen, White Blaze was injured by the same ones who took you. I healed him, but he's going to need to rest for a little awhile. Once he's well, we're going to look for you. Hopefully we'll find you before they try anything.' 

'I'm counting on you, Sage.' 

'Don't worry, Ryo. You'll be home in no time.' 


	5. Chapter 5

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Chapter 5. Following the Tiger 

A few hours passed again. The Ronins had all eaten, and White Blaze was well rested. Now they were all following the tiger as he followed Ryo's scent. Mia had stayed behind, to lure any suspicion away from them. 

They were all in their subarmors and walking quickly down the street. 

"So what's the plan?" Cye asked. 

"I'm working on one as we go along," Rowen said. "Once we find their hideout, we should split up into two teams, and a single, and surround the place. The two teams distract while the single searches for Ryo. Hopefully we'll be able to distract the kidnappers enough to rescue Ryo." 

"Why can't we just break in and knock them out?" Kento asked. 

"Because, they might be expecting that, Kento," Rowen said. "And they could have guns. We may be wearing subarmor, but that doesn't protect our heads from a bullet." 

"So we call on our armors." 

Rowen let out an impatient sigh. "Kento, use your head. We were given the armors to restore life, not tear it apart. Those kidnappers don't have armors. They're regular humans. After we rescue Ryo, we send them off to jail and let the Police handle them for awhile." 

Kento grumbled slightly, but let it go. He looked toward White Blaze. The tiger was still hot on Ryo's trail. So far they had walked at least a half mile. Just how far did these losers take Ryo anyway? 

Sage wiped the sweat from his forehead. It was hot today. His violet eyes peered at the sun, and then he had a fleeting thought. I hope we don't have to fight in the dark. 

Cye was quiet. He wished that he or someone would have stayed with Ryo. Maybe none of this would have happened. He hoped Ryo was OK. He hated to think of them killing a good friend and leader. He wiped his eyes. Ryo, I hope you're still all right. 


	6. Chapter 6

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Chapter 6. Forced. 

"Get up!" 

Ryo awoke to someone yanking his hair. He yelped, and then glared at Sama, his tiger blue eyes narrowing dangerously. ""What?!" he snapped. 

SMACK! Ryo's head flew to the side, a bright red hand mark on the side of his face. He turned his head and glared at the man again. 

"Give me the number to your house, boy. I'm getting money for you one way or another!" 

Ryo glared at him. "And will I be returned to my home if you're paid?" he demanded. 

Sama smirked. "No. We're going to kill you once I get that money. And no one will ever suspect me either. You see, I know how to cover up my tracks, and make murders look like accidents, or suicides." He pressed his finger against Ryo's temple. "You see, one shot right here, would end your life quickly, and believe me, I have plenty of guns to choose from." 

"If you're just going to kill me, then why should I give you that number? How do I know that you won't harass anyone else in there?" 

Sama smiled. "You're smart, kid. Real smart. But if you don't give me that number, then I'll just go and spend some quality time with that woman I saw in the photograph on the mantel. If you know what I mean." He smiled cruelly. 

Ryo gasped. "Don't you dare hurt her!" he warned. "You do and I'll...." He was rewarded with another slap, and then his throat was grabbed. 

"Either you give me that number, or she'll lose her innocence, and you'll lose your life!" 

Ryo struggled to breathe. The man's hand was tightly wrapped around his throat. His face started turning red. He tried to talk, but it was difficult. 

Sama finally pulled away, and glared down at the gasping boy. Ryo's face was pale, and for a moment he was almost scared. "Are you going to give the number to me or not?" 

"555-598-7575," Ryo said weakly. He could not stop shaking. The man smiled and patted his head. "Thanks." He started for the door. "Oh, by the way, Gono is making you something to eat. I know you got to be hungry." He went out the door, closed it, and locked it. 

Ryo stared at the shut door. Come to think of it he was hungry. He wished his friends were here already. He was worried about Mia and worried about White Blaze too. If he knew tiger, White Blaze would be paying one of these losers back for bashing him over the head. 

A tear dripped down his face. Guys, please hurry. 

Mia picked up the ringing telephone. "Yes?" Her face grew pale. She sat down as the talker spoke. She began searching for something. She found whatever it was she was looking for. "Yes, I got a pen and paper." She began writing. "You want me to drop off the money at the Santigao Park, and look for an old oak tree at least five feet away from the swing set on the left side. There's a big hole. Stick the briefcase inside there and make sure it cannot be seen from the outside. A million yen? I have only twenty-four hours to gather the money and to get it there? Yes, I understand. Can I please talk to Ryo?" 

The person hung up on her. Mia stared at the humming phone, and let out a pathetic sigh. She was scared for Ryo. Who knew what those awful men were doing to him? Her thoughts focused on the other boys. Please find him, guys.

(A/N: I know these chapters are short. But that's how I wrote them. Gomen, minna-san.)


	7. Chapter 7

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Ransom 

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Chapter 7. Almost There. 

White Blaze was getting closer to Ryo. The scent was very strong. He was walking more quickly, and the Ronins found themselves trotting just to keep up with him. 

"I think we're getting closer!" Sage said. 

They continued going, sensing that Ryo was close by. They found themselves outside the city and into the country side. As they traveled down a dirt road, some fenced in grazing cows looked up and saw the large white tiger running down the road, followed by four young male humans. The cows scattered. 

A man sitting on the fence, drinking a bottle of rum, saw them as well. His eyes did a double take, and he looked at the bottle in his hand. Without a second thought he poured the entire bottle out. 

Rowen looked back at the man. "I guess he's never seen a tiger before." 

"I think he's just surprised that ones our age would be running after a large tiger," Cye said. 

"Do you think we're getting closer?" Kento asked. 

White Blaze sniffed the air, and growled. He suddenly broke out into a run." 

"Does that answer your question?" Rowen asked. 

"Come one, let's go!" Sage shouted as he ran. The others followed, soon catching up to Halo and the tiger. All five ran down the street. Their armors were beginning to react and they knew they were indeed close. They would have Ryo back in no time.

Ryo wryly watched as Gono walked in with a plate of food. There were small helpings of cut up pork chops, mashed potatoes, and corn. He eyed Ryo. "I could just free one arm, but then you would try to hit me, and we don't want that." 

Ryo didn't say anything. He could sense his friends and knew they were close by. The man began to feed him. Ryo gave no trouble. He was hungry anyway, and wanted to keep his strength. He had a feeling they weren't going to be feeding him all that much. But that didn't matter anyway. He was leaving this place just as soon as his friends got here. 


	8. Chapter 8

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Chapter 8. Closing the Distance 

Sage saw the small cabin in the distance. It was surrounded by woods, and seemed perfectly isolated. Was Ryo in there? He had to be, because White Blaze was heading in that direction. 

Kento could see that the cabin was getting closer. His armor was reacting even more. He wanted to get in there and get Ryo out, and send those goons off into oblivion. 

"OK," Rowen said when they were right by the cabin. They were hiding from view along with White Blaze. All of them were eyeing the cabin. "I think it's time we put our plan into action." 

"So which of us is going to look for Ryo?" Cye asked. 

Before any of them could answer, White Blaze was already on his way. "Guess that answers our question," Rowen said. 

"Let's go," Sage said as he began to sneak off toward the cabin. Rowen followed him, and Cye and Kento went off in another direction. They surrounded the cabin the best they could. Now all they had to do was wait for White Blaze and Ryo. 

Ryo felt a presence outside the window of the small room he was being held in. Gono had just left, which was fine by him. He hoped that would give him enough time to think of revenge hit when the guys rescued him. 

Virtue! Ryo felt his kanji come to life. He could sense the others. They were here. Just like they said they'd be! He heard a slight roar. White Blaze? 

The window broke through, and White Blaze poked his head through. Ryo smiled. "Ah, White Blaze. Good to see you, boy!" 

There were footsteps coming toward the room. White Blaze ducked out of sight, and Ryo pretended he was asleep. He hoped he could fool them into believing he wasn't awake. Who knew what they would do to him if they suspected anything. 

The door opened, and two men stood in the door. Sama's lackeys. They stared in disbelief at the broken window. 

"How?" Tomo began as he stared in confusion. 

"Tomo, I told you we needed to replace that window! Let's go downstairs and get the new one. I don't think anyone will see the kid. Sama will be taking him with him when he goes to get that money anyway, and after that the kid's good as dead anyway." 

The two men left, locking the door behind them. A few minutes later White Blaze jumped through the window. Ryo opened his eyes and smiled. 

"Get me out of here, White Blaze!" 

(Yes, I know this is short.. This was my first Ryo fic ever! Seriously… I wrote this one before A Chance of a Lifetime. I just didn't post this one until now.)


	9. Chapter 9

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Chapter 9. 

Capturing. 

Sage turned around. Ryo and White Blaze were coming toward him and Rowen. He nudged Rowen. Rowen turned and smiled. Ryo was unhurt and now safe. It was time to get the losers out here. He tossed Ryo's orb to him, and soon Ryo was in his subarmor. Rowen contacted Kento and Cye through the mind link and told them Ryo was them. 

Sage cupped his hands, and switched his voice to sound like a man speaking through a megaphone. "This is the Toyoma Police Department! We have you surrounded. Come out with your hands up!" 

Any other time, the Ronins would have cracked up laughing, but this was serious. All of them stood ready and tense. 

Inside the men froze. The police were here! But how? That woman! She must have contacted the police! 

Sama angrily headed for the room where they keeping the boy. 

"What are you doing? Gono asked as he searched for his gun. 

"Going to use that boy against them!" he shouted as he flung open the door. An empty room met him. He stood there, stunned and angry. "How did he get out?!" 

Tomo looked in. "Those cops must have found him! I say we blow their heads off, and the kid's too!" He went off in search for his gun. 

Gono already had his and was loading it. Sama seethed for a moment and went to get his own. There was only one thing on his mind. Bloodshed. 

Sage's second sight flashed a warning at him. "They're coming out with guns! he warned, then told Kento and Cye. 

Ryo looked at his tiger. "Be careful, White Blaze!" 

The tiger roared in agreement. Of course he would be careful. 

Sage heard someone coming to the back door. He stood beside the door, his back pressed up against the wall beside it. He waited. The door opened, and a man grasping a gun slowly began to emerge. He didn't get much of a chance to start firing before Sage grabbed him, and threw him head first off the porch. His gun went flying out of his hand, as he landed into Ryo's and Rowen's grasps. 

"Hello!" Ryo said, and his fist came crashing down on the man's skull. Rowen slipped the man's belt off him and used it to tie his hands behind his back. 

"Gee, I hope his pants don't fall down," Ryo said. 

"That's one," Sage said. 

Kento stood waiting by the front door. Cye was in the yard. They heard someone coming to the front door. They were ready. The door opened. 

Kento's fist swung quickly, knocking the man right into the forehead. He fell backward, the gun sailing out of his hand. Kento caught the gun and broke it over his knee. Kento found a chain lying off the side of the porch, and used it to bind the man up. He lifted the man over his shoulder and carried him outside. 

Cye joined his side as Kento laid the man down. "Now what?" Kento asked. 

"I guess we let the others know we have one of them." 

"I wonder if they caught the others?" 

"Let's find out." 


	10. Chapter 10

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Ransom 

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Chapter 10

A Murderous Attempt. 

Cye and Kento joined the others. Both were very relieved to see Ryo. "Are you OK, Ryo?" Cye asked, as Kento laid the unconscious man down on the ground next to the other one. 

Ryo nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine. I have a slight headache, though." 

Sage heard that and came over. He placed his hands on Ryo's head and healed him. Ryo felt better. Arigatou." 

"Sure, Ryo. I took care of that concussion for you." 

Ryo nodded, then stared down at the two men. "There's one more." 

Kento looked up, confusion was written all over his face. "One more?" he repeated. 

They all frowned. "Uh oh!" 

"Hold it right there!" 

All five turned around. Sama stood a few feet away from them, loaded gun in hand. He looked angry. But that didn't worry them. What worried them was that loaded automatic pistol. 

Sama peered at them. He did not know how the boy had escaped, but he was betting that it was the other kids who freed him. Well, he was going to take care of this little problem once and for all. 

"I'm still going to get my money, boy. But you won't live to see your friends ever again!" 

He pulled the trigger.... 

"NOOOO!" Sage shouted. In one quick movement, he leapt in front of Ryo, sheltering his leader. A loud pop was heard, and Sage's arm was on fire. He cried out in pain as he and Ryo crashed to the ground. 

"SAGE!" everyone cried. 

Sama was about to fire again when something big and powerful attacked him. He fell to the ground, and tried to desperately get his arm out of the tiger's mouth. 

"Let go! Let go!" he cried. Had it been his other arm, he would have shot the dumb animal. 

White Blaze held his grip tightly on the man's bleeding arm. The man dropped his weapon, and Cye kicked it aside. (hey, Cye, aside! that rhymes!) And then White Blaze promptly sat on the man. 

Ryo looked behind him at his tiger. "Good boy, White Blaze. You just stay there until the police come." He was busy helping Rowen get the bullet out of Sage's arm, while Kento went into the cabin and called the Police. Once the bullet was out, Sage healed his wound the best he could. 

Kento came back out, carrying some bandages. "They're on their way. Here, Sage. I found these. They look pretty clean." 

Sage nodded and let Rowen and Ryo wrap his arm up. Sama tried in vain to get out from underneath the tiger, but it was no use. The animal was too heavy. 

"Could you get your tiger off me?! I can't breathe!" 

White Blaze snorted. 

Rowen crossed his arms. "You're talking, aren't ya?" 

Sama glared at Rowen and struggled all the more. Gono and Tomo began to come to. Once they were fully conscience, they tried to move, then discovered to their disappointment, they couldn't. And they were surprised that four teenage boys had done this. But what scared them even more, besides an angry tiger, were the sirens in the distance. 


	11. Chapter 11

****

Ransom

Chapter 11 

Kento grabbed another chain and used it to tie up Sama nice and tight. White Blaze took off, going into hiding. The five Ronins switched to street clothes. The Police soon arrived. 

Three squad cars came to a stop, and six police officers got out. One immediately began questioning the boys while the other five loaded the abductors into the backseats of the cruisers. 

"I thought he just wanted to use the phone," Ryo explained. "At first everything was cool, until those men right there attacked me. I got knocked out, and the next I know I'm here!" 

The officer nodded as he wrote that down. "And what about you four? How did you know where he was?" 

Rowen thought he suspected suspicion. They couldn't tell truth. The officers would try to have them committed. "One of the kidnappers goofed on the phone call, and gave the location of the place," he said. He shook his head. "I don't think these are what you call skilled abductors." 

The officer seemed to take that and nodded. Several more questions, and more answers. Finally, he asked for their names, addresses, and phone numbers. All was given, and that was written down too. 

"OK," the officer said as he flipped his notepad closed. "We're going to take these losers off to jail. Tomorrow, Ryo, come down with your parents or guardian and file charges." He paused and looked at Sage. 

"Are you all right?" 

Sage nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine. I just got a flesh wound that's all." 

The officer nodded. "Have a doctor take a look at it at least. You don't want an infection." 

Sage nodded, and the officer asked. "Now do you boys have a ride home?" 

They all shook their heads. 

The officer sighed. Two squad cars were already leaving, and his partner was waiting for him. "Is there anyone I could call who can come and get you?" 

"Mia Koji," Cye replied. "She's a friend of ours. She has a license." 

"Give me the number." 

The number was given, but when there was no answer, Ryo gave her cell number. It rang three times before someone answered. 

"Miss Koji? This is Officer Brum. I found Ryo Sanada, Cye Mouri, Kento Rei Faun, Sage Date, and Rowen Hashiba. All of them are safe and sound, and they need a ride. We're two miles northwest of Toyoma, just east of Sandei. It's old country. Just follow Wicca Road all the way straight and you'll come to an old cabin. Sure thing, ma'am. Good day." He hung up. 

"She's on her way. Are you boys going to be all right here?" 

"Yeah, sure. No problem!" Kento exclaimed. "We handle those guys didn't we?" 

The officer nodded. He had been wondering about that. He bid them good-bye and headed off for his car. The Ronins watched the squad car drive off. 

"Now what?" Cye asked as they sat down on the porch to wait. 

"We wait for Mia," Rowen replied as White Blaze came out of hiding. He nuzzled Ryo. 

"White Blaze, I'm sorry, boy. For not believing you. Can you forgive me?" Ryo asked. 

White Blaze licked Ryo's face. That was answer enough. Ryo climbed onto his back and sat there. 

"I'm hungry," Kento said. Cye rolled his eyes. He was positive that was Kento's favorite phrase. 

"You're always hungry," Rowen said. 

Kento shrugged. It wasn't like he wasn't going to deny that fact. 

They continued to wait, feeling very bored. Sage's arm hurt, and he already knew that Mia would want to take a look at it when she saw it. 

Finally after an hour, they saw her coming. 

"It's about time!" Kento exclaimed as he jumped to his feet. The others stood up and watched as Mia parked the jeep. She climbed out and headed for Ryo. 

"Are you all right? Did they hurt you?" 

"I'm fine, Mia, and no, they didn't hurt me." 

Mia nodded, then looked at Sage. "What happened to your arm, Sage?!" 

Sage grimaced. "One of them tried to shoot Ryo. I jumped in front of him. It's healed halfway...." 

"Let me see." 

Sage sighed and allowed Mia to unwrap the bandages. She studied it. You're going to need that cleaned. We'll have to do it at home. Get in the jeep, everyone," she ordered as she rewrapped Sage's arm. 

They obeyed. Sage climbed in too, and Mia got up front. She put the jeep into gear and headed back to Toyoma with White Blaze following behind. 


	12. Chapter 12

****

Chapter 12. 

"YEOW!" 

Sage, would you hold still!" 

"But it hurts!" 

"Well, if you hold still we'd get it done faster!" 

Ryo let out a smile as he watched Mia try to clean Sage's wound with peroxide and antiseptic spray. They were in the living room. He and Rowen were playing Mortal Kombat, while Cye and Kento waited for their turn. 

Finally Mia rewrapped Sage's arm with fresh cleaned bandages. "There, all done. There's Advil in the medicine cabinet." 

Sage bounded up the stairs. "Good, I need them!" 

Mia shook her head and sat down on the couch. She was glad this day turned out better than she thought. Ryo was safe, and so were the others, and she still had her money. She planned to go with Ryo to the Police Station tomorrow so they could press charges against his abductors. But that would have to wait until after school. 

Sage came back down and joined Cye and Kento as they watched Rowen and Ryo play their game. 

"Ha!" Rowen cried triumphantly. "I won! Pay up!" 

Ryo frowned at the screen. "But how?" he pouted. Then he sighed and dug out ten yen and handed it to Rowen. 

Rowen put it away. "Pleasure doing business with ya!" 

Ryo only grumbled. 

"Our turn!" Kento cried. 

The game was given over to Kento and Cye. 

Mia sighed inwardly. It was pretty relaxing, even with the TV sound up loud. For once none of them were fighting or battling. The game ended ten minutes later with Cye winning. Kento grumbled a bit, but paid Cye his ten yen. 

Mia glanced at the clock. "It's after 11 P.M. guys." 

The game was shut off, and the remote was handed to her as everyone got to their feet and began to head upstairs. 

"Ryo, Sage, are you two going to school tomorrow?" Mia asked. 

Ryo nodded and smiled and headed off for his room with White Blaze beside him. 

"Of course I am," Sage replied, flashing Mia one of his smiles. "There'll be enough girls there to pity me!" 

Mia rolled her eyes. "Sage Date, do you ever get tired of flirting?" 

Sage shook his head, a big grin on his face. "Nope!" 

Rowen pushed Sage up the stairs. "Let's go, Sage. Good-night, everyone." 

They all headed off for their rooms. 

Mia turned on the lamp, and shut the big light out. She flipped through several channels until she found something interesting. 

Ah, peace and quiet at last! 

(Ok. I've read all the reviews I've gotten for this fic. To let you all know this was my very first Ryo fic, so there wasn't much detail to it. And plus I was writing down what came to my mind. Another thing is, the reason why I put that guy on the fence was for humor. One of the reasons I didn't explain how the cabin was, was because sometimes I'm rather lazy about that, and people need to use their own imagination and make it how they view the cabin. I may revise this story though when I get the time. If you want a good Ryo story read A Chance of a Lifetime. But thanks for the good criticism. I'll keep this in mind when I rewrite Ransom. However I'm leaving the guy on the fence in it.)


End file.
